Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Logistics Division

Overview

The Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Logistics (MAL) Division is managed by a division director and executive staff that oversee Agribusiness, Land & Minerals, Financial Operations, Inmate Transportation, Programs, Texas Correctional Industries (TCI), and Transportation & Supply. Coordination oversight of the MAL Division is provided by the chief financial officer.

Responsibilities

• Provide inmate work program participants with marketable job skills to help reduce recidivism through a coordinated program of job skills training and documentation of work history.
• Reduce costs to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) by providing quality products and services; and provide products and services for sale, on a for-profit basis, to federal and state government agencies and political subdivisions of the state.
• Procure, maintain, and monitor all TDCJ vehicles and related equipment.
• Warehouse goods and supplies.
• Transport goods for the TDCJ.
• Provide efficient and safe transport for inmates
• Manage agricultural, land and mineral operations.
• Ensure emergency preparedness by maintaining products and services during emergency events when these items may otherwise be unattainable.

Organization

Organizational Chart

Agribusiness, Land & Minerals

Agribusiness, Land & Minerals includes Business Management, Crops and Equipment, and Livestock departments.

Business Management maintains agency records relevant to TDCJ land issues including abstracts, deeds, title opinions, easements, seismic permits, land leases, and oil and gas leases. Business Management provides financial management and cost accounting for agricultural operations across the state.

Crops and Equipment manages the direct production of field and edible crops for use within the agency. Field crops include grain and hay, which are processed to feed livestock. Cotton is transferred to TCI textile mills to make inmate clothing and bedding. Edible crops are produced and sent to agency food service departments to be prepared for meals or sent to the agency canning plant for processing. Crops and Equipment also includes support services such as farm shops, harvesting operations, plant maintenance operations and pest control.

Livestock manages the commercial cow herds and stocker operations, broodmare and horse development operations, laying hen operations, farrow-to-finish swine operations, feed production facilities and meat packing plants. These operations provide beef, pork, and eggs to agency food service departments to be prepared and served. The Livestock department also provides unit correctional staff with horses, which are utilized to oversee outside inmate work squads and canine tracking programs.

Financial Operations

Financial Operations provides support to Programs, TCI, and Transportation & Supply. The department includes the Financial Support Office (FSO), the Business Office for TCI and Transportation & Supply, and TCI Customer Service.

The FSO is responsible for compiling data from various sources to: produce the monthly TCI Financial Report; produce weekly and monthly warehouse reports; and provide information and reports to factories, MAL management and agency administration, all of which are utilized to make business decisions.

The Business Office provides division budget oversight, purchasing approvals and specifications, credit card monitoring, accounts receivable collections and general accounting.

TCI Customer Service is the center-point for customer contact for receiving and processing customer purchase orders and complaint resolutions, and providing order status, delivery dates and price quotes.

Inmate Transportation

Inmate Transportation is headquartered in Huntsville with seven hub offices located in Abilene, Amarillo, Beeville, Gatesville, Huntsville, Rosharon, and Tennessee Colony. The department is responsible for inmate transports to include, unit-to-unit, medical, county jail, Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF) intake, state and federal court, regional releases, interstate compact, handicap transport, off-site medical inmate tracking, out-of-state extraditions, emergency response and evacuations.

Programs

Programs include the Inmate Work & Training Programs and Planning & Research.

Inmate Work & Training Programs oversees MAL's designated training facilities: Wynne Computer Recovery & Geographic Information Systems and Mountain View Braille. Inmate Work & Training Programs' responsibilities are to:

• Develop inmate master training plans.
• Document inmate participation in on-the-job training (OJT) programs, job-skills training programs, and other training programs.
• Coordinate with the Windham School District and post-secondary entities to certify OJT programs, create short courses, apprenticeships, and vocational courses.
• Collaborate with the TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division, Rehabilitation Programs Division, Reentry and Integration Division, Parole Division, and the Windham School District to provide incarcerated inmates with post-release employment readiness to increase their reentry success.
• Participate in Reentry and Integration Division sponsored job fairs and hiring events.
• Ensure availability of job history and certifications to released inmates with MAL work experience.
• Utilize Work Against Recidivism (WAR) data to measure post-release employment success.
• Maintain and update Inmate Job Assignment Summaries (IJAS) to ensure facilities have the required number of inmates to meet production needs.
• Screen and process transfer requests from inmates seeking employment with MAL.
• Provide oversight of the Prison Industries Enhancement (PIE) Certification Program, and act as the liaison between unit administration and the private business located on a correctional facility and monitor the program to ensure compliance with state and federal guidelines .

Planning & Research compiles and provides accurate and consistent information about the division for various publications, presentations and webpages; coordinates the development and maintenance of division policies and publications; conducts legislative impact analysis; coordinates, monitors and oversees various division responsibilities; American Correctional Association – Correctional Industries coordination and compliance; provides staff development support such as division training and coordination of other training needs.

Texas Correctional Industries

Texas Correctional Industries Website

TCI was established in 1963 with the passage of Senate Bill 338, the Prison Made Goods Act. TCI manufactures goods and provides services for sale, on a for-profit basis to city, county, state and federal agencies, public schools, public and private institutions of higher education, public hospitals and political subdivisions. TCI includes five divisions:

• Furniture Division has four facilities that build a variety of office and institutional furniture and modular systems.
• Garment Division has 14 facilities that manufacture items such as shirts, pants, coats, shoes, sheets, pillows and mattresses.
• Graphics Division has seven facilities that make signs, stickers, license plates, janitorial supplies, soaps, detergents and provide printing services.
• Marketing & Distribution Division develops the marketing strategy, participates in events to promote TCI products and services, provides customer service and operates the Austin and Huntsville showrooms and warehouses.
• Metal Division has six facilities that manufacture items such as stainless steel goods, signs, park equipment, dump truck beds, and trailers.

Transportation & Supply

Transportation & Supply includes two divisions: Fleet & Freight Transportation and Warehousing & Supply.

Fleet & Freight Transportation has three freight terminals and six mechanical operations. The department is responsible for the management and supervision of TDCJ transportation, mechanical needs, planning and forecasting equipment needs, emergency wrecker services for the TDCJ; manages the acquisition and maintenance service of TDCJ passenger vehicles, buses, tractor trucks, trailers and equipment; provides transportation through motor pools or vehicle assignments to TDCJ staff; and oversees the evaluation of salvage vehicles and trailers. Freight terminals are responsible for transporting goods, planning the shipping and distribution requirements for the TDCJ, providing safety education training for employees and inmates, and coordinating the transportation and receipt of goods with customers.

Warehousing & Supply has eight facilities and is responsible for managing the annual distribution of consumable goods and supplies, including dry, cold and frozen food, TCI and Agribusiness, Land & Minerals produced goods, and Facilities Division maintenance supplies, while optimizing the TDCJ's appropriated budget. Warehousing & Supply also oversees the disposal process of salvage vehicles.